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/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / SEPTEMBER 2015
/ Micro Housing Fills the Needs of Millenials, Empty Nesters /
including the addition of a sliding glass door with a Juliet bal-
cony railing.
The blackout window blind roller shades were selected in
three different colors, randomly placed throughout, and will
add an ever-changing playful color pattern to the otherwise
neutral building exterior.
Other important aspects inmicro-unit buildings are storage
and amenity spaces. As a former hotel, the building includes
an outdoor pool, which was fully restored and upgraded. The
old hotel lobby and porte cochere have been uncluttered and
reconfigured, and now they are spaces to meet, work and
play. The large green parklet with mature tree growth, located
right in front of the building, but previously underutilized,
now has a direct connection to the ground-floor interior and
adds a dog run, a fireplace area and some signature sculptural
pole elements with the ability to suspend hammocks. Storage
rooms with individual locking compartments and a covered
exterior bike storage structure with a bike repair station were
added.
Nevertheless, given its location and the desire of renters to
still own a car, if not for weekday use, but for weekend moun-
tain travel, has prompted the maintenance of a relatively
high number of parking spaces (160), while a car-share option
will also be on offer.
This brings to light the challenge of current zoning within
the city, which hasn’t been an issue for standard-size apart-
ment projects (typically they are designed to significantly ex-
ceed zoning requirements for market reasons). Zoning allows
a variance reduction of parking to 50 percent minimum, but
at around 350 gross square feet per parking stall in an aver-
age parking lot or garage, the ratio of parking square footage
vs. living square footage seems skewed. Denver Planning and
Zoning may want to investigate creation provisions for these
different housing product types.
For new built projects, the accessibility requirements will
pose challenges when trying to optimize spaces. But the con-
cept of micro-units has proven viable and could be essential
in order to provide attainable housing for the continued in-
flux of workforce talent into urban areas, maintaining vibran-
cy in our inner cities. Living smaller can be desirable – more
attainable, right-sized and, above all, ecologically responsible.
More is just more; less can and has to be better, more intelli-
gent, right-scaled.
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Optimized bathroom
